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Pho Que Hu'o'ng Restaurant - A good bowl of Pho, Oak Park, MI

Facebook/Chowhound gal pal, Martha Shea, aka BerkleyBabe and I went on a lunch adventure today. The mission was to visit Saigon Market on John R. just south of 13 Mile so I could pick up some supplies and to check out a newish Pho restaurant a block north of there - http://quehuongdetroit.com. Both are in Madison Heights, MI, a suburb of Detroit.

We entered a very small establishment with several tables filled with hungry eaters. Martha and I split a side of fresh spring rolls and we each ordered a bowl of Pho, chicken for me and rare beef for her.

Everything was delicious. The Pho was served with the requisite fresh Thai basil, lime and bean spouts. I enhanced my Pho with two tiny spoonfuls of a wicked hot pepper concoction available as a side at each table. As I was taking photos, the chef came out and gave us each a take out menu and explained that he has a web site. I think he was somewhat tickled that someone was taking photographic notice of his food.

Martha and I talked about wanting to come back to try the several different Bahn Mi Thit sandwiches as well as the Chim Cut Roti ("special marinated quails in deep fried"). A neighboring table ordered the quail and it did look tasty!

At Saigon Market, Martha picked up a package of jellied lychee candy that has the consistency of jello. For those of you who may not know about Saigon Market, they grow their own greens in, if I understood the owner correctly on a previous visit, a greenhouse just south of Michigan's border in Ohio. Tubs and tubs full of wonderfully fresh looking basil, pea shoots, garlic chives, and various other things I have no idea what they are. They also bring in their own duck and chicken (feet still attached).

We didn't see anything on the handout about Wed. closing, so thanks for that. The spring roll was excellent --shrimp, mint, rice vermicelli and other vegs --very light and bright tasting with a great hoisin/peanut/veg dipping sauce. Very friendly service and great prices, too.

See now, they *look* good to me, too. I direly miss the fresh Vietnamese spring rolls that Pany used to serve at Ny's Thai Cafe in Novi...heck, I miss everything about that place. The pics you guys took were very nice indeed, and I hope the sauce will make me happy, too.

On wednesdays you can drive further south to John R and 11 mile for Thang Long.Pho is a solid performer there. As is the "Bun thit/Bo" and its variations of the cold noodle salads are very good.The Fresh rolls (goi coun) and Spring rolls (cha gio) are good too.I think they are closed on Mondays.

On te east side there is Blue Star on Gratiot north of the Macomb Mall that is also good for Pho and the other vietnamese staples.

Sorry still no news for Berkley(but there is supposed to be vietnamese opening in Clawson).

I wish this place was in Oak Park-it would be a lot closer to Berkley!

I'll have to check out Saigon Market again--I went there once and remember feeling a bit intimidated as most of the signs were in Vietnamese without English translation. Plus I was definitely the only non-Asian in the place!

I think Saigon Market is a lot more user friendly than China Merchandise a little north of there on John R. However, China Merchandise has far more food stuff for sale. Saigon Market staff used to have language issues but since they've expanded that does not seem to be an issue any more.

Great report & pics. Also in same vicinity geographically if not ethnically are the Tel-way (sliders) and Betty Ross II (diner w/good breakfasts). Has anybody ever tried the bar-b-q place next to China Merchandise, the one with the hanging ducks?

Oh yes by all means go in there . The smell alone is worth something , but the roast pork belly is sinfully good . And next to that is the little Chinese bakery , another gem . Personally , I am partial to the market @ 13 & Dequindre and the bakery also located there , but thats just because everybody there is so nice . This summer I'm going to have the staff from the market over for american style pulled pork , they have never had it , and we are all looking forward to the cross-cultural experience .

I go to the market at 13 and Dequindre to get my asian goods and last time I asked one of the girls how the Pho was next door and she sent me to Saigon which is in a strip mall across from Produce Palace at 12 and Dequindre. It was very clean and very good Pho as well as the Vietnamese Spring Rolls and the wife had a Cane Juice drink she raved about. As for the BBQ by the market the Pork is fantastic but you need the dipping sauce to bring out the flavors.

Tel-way is at 11 Mile & John R, NE corner; Betty Ross II, for those who don't know, is also on John R just S of 12. They're a mile or two south of pho country, but since I'm 25 miles away I think of them all as neighbors.

i was here yesterday. i am trying to kick a cold. while i was on the road around lunchtime, i felt like having some kind of soup rather than a sandwich or a quick fast food stop. i started thinking pho and drove a few miles out of the way to madison hts. stopped here and got the chicken. it was great and just what i needed.